The business and culture of our digital lives, from the L.A. Times

As everyone now knows, no relationship is truly official until it is announced on Facebook.

Given that unavoidable truth, many previously unannounced couples must be breathing a sigh of relief: On Thursday Facebook announced it has enabled its users to choose "civil unions" and "domestic partnerships" as relationship options.

The move was lauded by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which said that the new options would only be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the UK and France. The group said it was one among several advocacy organizations that asked Facebook to make the change.

“Today, Facebook sent a clear message in support of gay and lesbian couples to users across the globe,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios in a statement on the group's website. “By acknowledging the relationships of countless loving and committed same-sex couples in the U.S. and abroad, Facebook has set a new standard of inclusion for social media."